Our own Bob Payne has been named the San Diego Rotary Club’s “Mr. San Diego” for 2009. Mayor Jerry Sanders will present the award next week recognizing Bob for his humanitarian achievements and civic contributions.
Here on the Mesa, where he graduated in 1955, we’ve thought of Bob as a sort of unofficial “Mr. SDSU” for some time. He’s a member of the President’s Council and Chairman of the Board of The Campanile Foundation, of which he is a charter member. In 1988 he was honored by our organization as SDSU Alumnus of the Year.
A colleague asked me recently how I felt about Bob winning the Rotary's prestigious award.
Asking an alumni director's attitude regarding Bob Payne winning an award is kind of like asking how Leo Durocher about having Willie Mays in the lineup.
Bob Payne is the poster child for model alumnus. If Wikipedia allowed me to contribute a definition, then Bob's Picture would grace the entry “Model Aztec Alumnus.”
You could take a bevy of robotics engineers and they would never in a million years create a greater representative for your university.
Allow me to count the ways:
Leadership
Generosity
Wisdom
Involvement
Passion
Congratulations, Bob.
